Invasion History
First Non-native North American Tidal Record: 1991First Non-native West Coast Tidal Record: 1991
First Non-native East/Gulf Coast Tidal Record:
General Invasion History:
Symplegma reptans is a colonial tunicate, native to the Indo-West Pacific, where it occurs from northern Japan to Hong Kong (Nishikawa 1991; Huang 2001), Mumbai, India (Swami and Chhapgar 2002) and Queensland, Australia (Kott 1985). It has been introduced to Southern California, being first reported from Los Angeles Harbor in 1991.
North American Invasion History:
Invasion History on the West Coast:
Symplegma reptans was first collected in the northeast Pacific in 1991, in Los Angeles Harbor, and in San Diego Bay in 1994, but was initially misidentified as S. brakenhielmi. In 1997, it was found in Mission Bay, Dana Point Harbor, and Long Beach Harbor (Lambert and Lambert 1998; Lambert and Lambert 2003). In 1997-1998, this tunicate underwent a population explosion, creating dense single-species colonies (Lambert and Lambert 2003).
Invasion History in Hawaii:
In 1996, Symplegma reptans was found in Pearl Harbor in fouling on the floating drydock USS 'Machinist', which had been towed from the Philippines (Coles et al. 1999a; Coles et al. 1999b; Carlton and Eldredge, 2009). Its establishment in the Islands is uncertain.
Description
Symplegma reptans is a colonial tunicate with flattened zooids embedded within a thin, but tough, and nearly transparent tunic. Colonies grow in a flat mat which can be up to 2-3 mm thick, and 300+ mm diameter. Individual zooids are oblong in shape and randomly arranged within the common tunic. The color of the zooids varies from pink (Australia) or grayish to pinkish purple (Japan) with large triangular white patches, around the oral apertures. When the colonies are large and the zooids very densely packed, they form lobes and the pinkish color is much more noticeable. The zooids are usually arranged more randomly than in the photo (above). Each zooid has its own oral and atrial siphon that opens at the surface of the tunic. Both siphons are short, with frilled openings (Kott 1985; Nishikawa 1991; Gretchen Lambert 2012, personal communication).
Taxonomy
Taxonomic Tree
| Kingdom: | Animalia | |
| Phylum: | Chordata | |
| Subphylum: | Tunicata | |
| Class: | Ascidiacea | |
| Order: | Stolidobranchia | |
| Family: | Styelidae | |
| Genus: | Symplegma | |
| Species: | reptans |
Synonyms
Potentially Misidentified Species
None
Symplegma rubra
None
Symplegma viride
None
Ecology
General:
A colonial (or compound) tunicate consists of many zooids, bearing most or all of the organs of a solitary tunicate, but modified to varying degrees for colonial life. Colonial ascidians of the genera Symplegma have small, flattened, ovate zooids, but these are not arranged in systems. The zooids are embedded in a mass of tunic material. Each zooid has an oral and atrial siphon. Water is pumped into the oral siphon, through finely meshed ciliated gills on the pharynx, where phytoplankton and detritus is filtered, and passed on mucus strings to the stomach and intestines. Excess waste is expelled in the outgoing atrial water (Van Name 1945; Barnes 1983).
Colonial ascidians reproduce both asexually, by budding, and sexually, from fertilized eggs developing into larvae. Buds can form from the body wall of the zooid. Colonies vary in size, and can range from small clusters of zooids to huge spreading masses. The zooids are hermaphroditic, with eggs and sperm being released to the atrial chamber. Eggs may be self-fertilized or fertilized by sperm from nearby animals, but some species have a partial block to self-fertilization. Eggs are brooded in the atrial chamber, and hatch into tadpole larvae, with a muscular tail and a notochord, eyespots, and a set of adhesive papillae. The lecithotrophic (non-feeding, yolk-dependent) larvae are expelled on hatching, and swim briefly before settlement. Swimming periods are usually less than a day, and some larvae can settle immediately after release, but the larval period can be longer at lower temperatures. On settlement, the tail is absorbed, the gill basket expands, and the tunicate begins to feed by filtering (Van Name 1945; Barnes 1983).
Food:
Phytoplankton, detritus
Trophic Status:
Suspension Feeder
SusFedHabitats
| General Habitat | Marinas & Docks | None |
| General Habitat | Vessel Hull | None |
| General Habitat | Rocky | None |
| Salinity Range | Polyhaline | 18-30 PSU |
| Salinity Range | Euhaline | 30-40 PSU |
| Tidal Range | Subtidal | None |
| Vertical Habitat | Epibenthic | None |
Tolerances and Life History Parameters
| Broad Temperature Range | None | Warm temperate-Tropical |
| Broad Salinity Range | None | Polyhaline-Euhaline |
General Impacts
Ecological Impacts-Competition- Symplegma reptans created extensive areas of 100% cover at sites in San Diego and Mission Bays in 1998, suggestive of competition (Lambert and Lambert 2003).
Regional Impacts
| P020 | San Diego Bay | Ecological Impact | Competition | ||
| Symplegma reptans created extensive areas of 100% cover at sites in San Diego and Mission Bays in 1998, suggestive of competition (Lambert and Lambert 2003). | |||||
| P030 | Mission Bay | Ecological Impact | Competition | ||
| Symplegma reptans created extensive areas of 100% cover at sites in San Diego and Mission Bays in 1998, suggestive of competition (Lambert and Lambert 2003). | |||||
| NEP-VI | Pt. Conception to Southern Baja California | Ecological Impact | Competition | ||
| Symplegma reptans created extensive areas of 100% cover at sites in San Diego and Mission Bays in 1998, suggestive of competition (Lambert and Lambert 2003). | |||||
| CA | California | Ecological Impact | Competition | ||
Symplegma reptans created extensive areas of 100% cover at sites in San Diego and Mission Bays in 1998, suggestive of competition (Lambert and Lambert 2003). |
|||||
Regional Distribution Map
| Bioregion | Region Name | Year | Invasion Status | Population Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NWP-3b | None | 0 | Native | Established |
| NWP-4a | None | 0 | Native | Established |
| NWP-2 | None | 0 | Native | Established |
| AUS-XIII | None | 0 | Native | Established |
| NEP-VI | Pt. Conception to Southern Baja California | 1995 | Non-native | Established |
| SP-XXI | None | 1996 | Non-native | Unknown |
| CIO-I | None | 0 | Native | Established |
| P020 | San Diego Bay | 1995 | Non-native | Established |
| P050 | San Pedro Bay | 1991 | Non-native | Established |
| P030 | Mission Bay | 1997 | Non-native | Established |
| P027 | _CDA_P027 (Aliso-San Onofre) | 1997 | Non-native | Established |
| NWP-4b | None | 0 | Native | Established |
| NEP-VIII | None | 2003 | Non-native | Established |
Occurrence Map
| OCC_ID | Author | Year | Date | Locality | Status | Latitude | Longitude |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 767429 | Ruiz et al., 2015 | 2013 | 2013-07-19 | SeaWorld Marina, Mission Bay, CA, California, USA | Non-native | 32.7676 | -117.2314 |
| 767465 | Ruiz et al., 2015 | 2013 | 2013-07-29 | Mission Bay Yacht Club, Mission Bay, CA, California, USA | Non-native | 32.7778 | -117.2485 |
| 767485 | Ruiz et al., 2015 | 2013 | 2013-08-04 | Bahia Resort Marina, Mission Bay, CA, California, USA | Non-native | 32.7731 | -117.2478 |
| 767532 | Ruiz et al., 2015 | 2013 | 2013-08-03 | Mission Bay Sport Center, Mission Bay, CA, California, USA | Non-native | 32.7857 | -117.2495 |
| 767559 | Ruiz et al., 2015 | 2013 | 2013-08-02 | The Dana Marina, Mission Bay, CA, California, USA | Non-native | 32.7671 | -117.2363 |
| 767571 | Ruiz et al., 2015 | 2013 | 2013-08-05 | Paradise Point Resort, Mission Bay, CA, California, USA | Non-native | 32.7730 | -117.2406 |
| 767686 | Ruiz et al., 2015 | 2013 | 2013-07-17 | Naval Station San Diego, San Diego Bay, CA, California, USA | Non-native | 32.6867 | -117.1333 |
| 767712 | Ruiz et al., 2015 | 2013 | 2013-07-25 | Navy Ammo Dock, Pier Bravo, San Diego Bay, CA, California, USA | Non-native | 32.6939 | -117.2276 |
| 767723 | Ruiz et al., 2015 | 2013 | 2013-07-21 | Cabrillo Isle Marina, San Diego Bay, CA, California, USA | Non-native | 32.7272 | -117.1995 |
| 767753 | Ruiz et al., 2015 | 2013 | 2013-07-18 | NAB Fiddlers Cove, San Diego Bay, CA, California, USA | Non-native | 32.6524 | -117.1486 |
References
Barnes, Robert D. (1983) Invertebrate Zoology, Saunders, Philadelphia. Pp. 883Bastida-Zavala, Rolando; de León-González, Jesús Ángel; Carballo Cenizo, José Luis; Moreno-Dávila, Betzabé (2014) [Aquatic Invasive Species in Mexico], Comisión Nacional para el Conocimiento y Uso de la Biodiversidad, <missing place>. Pp. 317-336
California Department of Fish and Wildlife (2014) Introduced Aquatic Species in California Bays and Harbors, 2011 Survey, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Sacramento CA. Pp. 1-36
Coles S. L., DeFelice R. C., Eldredge, L. G. (1999a) Nonindigenous marine species introductions in the harbors of the south and west shores of Oahu, Hawaii., Bishop Museum Technical Report 15: 1-212
Coles, S. L.; DeFelice, R. C.; Eldredge, L. G.; Carlton, J. T. (1999b) Historical and recent introductions of non-indigenous marine species into Pearl Harbor, Oahu, Hawaiian Islands., Marine Biology 135(1): 147-158
de Rivera, Catherine, and 27 authors (2005) Broad-scale non-indigenous species monitoring along the West Coast in National Marine Sanctuaries and National Estuarine Research Reserves report to National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Washington, D.C.. Pp. <missing location>
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Ruiz, Gregory M.; Geller, Jonathan (2018) Spatial and temporal analysis of marine invasions in California, Part II: Humboldt Bay, Marina del Re, Port Hueneme, and San Francisco Bay, Smithsonian Environmental Research Center & Moss Landing Laboratories, Edgewater MD, Moss Landing CA. Pp. <missing location>
Simkanin, Christina; Fofonoff, Paul W.; Larson, Kriste; Lambert, Gretchen; Dijkstra, Jennifer A.; Ruiz, Gregory M. (2016) Spatial and temporal dynamics of ascidian invasions in the continental United States and Alaska, Marine Biology 163: Published online
Swami, B. S.; Chapgar, B. F. (2002) Settlement pattern of ascidians in harbor waters of Mumbai, West Coast of India., Indian Journal of Marine Science 31(3): 207-212
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Van Name, Willard G. (1945) The North and South American ascidians, Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 84: 1-462